5 ms·

I'm not sure what you are referring to by 'that'? (Anecdote: My dad ended up buying a set of the World Book encyclopaedias by a pushy salesman - ended up treme

I'm not sure what you are referring to by 'that'? (Anecdote: My dad ended up buying a set of the World Book encyclopaedias by a pushy salesman - ended up tremendously enriching my life over the next couple of years.) I realise that anti-consumerism is viewed as a Good Thing, but some of the onus is on the consumer - his 'duty' is to think and buy. The producer will gladly cater to the second half of that, and manipulate the first bit to the fullest extent he can to enable the buying. This hardly makes the producer (and his agents) a 'bandit'.

jacquesm 17y ago
The story about the salesman pushing the grand piano and a wall being knocked down into the bedroom to make room for it. It was clearly meant tongue-in-cheek, or at least that is how I took it. Of course nobody buys a piano because of a pushy salesman if their house can not accomodate it, but it is a nice analogy to describe some of the process that goes on when people buy stuff they don't need or have the ability to use. Have a look at this for how far the 'salespeople' are willing to go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi63rXnuWbw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi63rXnuWbw
- shrikant 17y ago
  Oh. You took my response to the story literally? I was responding to the way in which the "hard-working professional man" was painted as a victim. Would you say uppity restaurants that focus more on the presentation of the food and the ambience than the bland quality of their fare are to be faulted for positioning themselves thusly? If people see fit to pay for the snob value, more power to them.. 'Pester power' is a well-known soft spot exploited by marketing droids. Personally, I feel this is a shady trick. but IMO, this doesn't make them evil. Kids being a soft target is all the more reason to try and take a personal involvement in educating your kids, and not letting the ridiculously marketing-driven society do it for you. (not you personally, jacquesm..)
  - jacquesm 17y ago
    > I was responding to the way in which the "hard-working professional man" was painted as a victim. Well, he is. He is pushed to buy something he neither wants nor needs but runs out of a will to resist. This happens every day at the doorsteps of tens of thousands of older people that get salespeople to visit them at their homes. > Would you say uppity restaurants that focus more on the presentation of the food and the ambience than the bland quality of their fare are to be faulted for positioning themselves thusly? I take it that they do not go door-to-door or have people standing in the street in front of their restaurant to push people in the doorway. If the choice is truly free then it's fine with me. > If people see fit to pay for the snob value, more power to them.. We are in agreement on that. > Personally, I feel this is a shady trick. Personally, I feel it is criminal. > but IMO, this doesn't make them evil. And we disagree on that. > Kids being a soft target is all the more reason to try and take a personal involvement in educating your kids, and not letting the ridiculously marketing-driven society do it for you. As the proud father of a 15 year old son I could go on for days about the enormity of the assault on young impressionable minds. It goes so far that I feel some sympathy for those parents that eventually give up.

jacquesm 17y ago

The story about the salesman pushing the grand piano and a wall being knocked down into the bedroom to make room for it. It was clearly meant tongue-in-cheek, or at least that is how I took it. Of course nobody buys a piano because of a pushy salesman if their house can not accomodate it, but it is a nice analogy to describe some of the process that goes on when people buy stuff they don't need or have the ability to use. Have a look at this for how far the 'salespeople' are willing to go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi63rXnuWbw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi63rXnuWbw

shrikant 17y ago
Oh. You took my response to the story literally? I was responding to the way in which the "hard-working professional man" was painted as a victim. Would you say uppity restaurants that focus more on the presentation of the food and the ambience than the bland quality of their fare are to be faulted for positioning themselves thusly? If people see fit to pay for the snob value, more power to them.. 'Pester power' is a well-known soft spot exploited by marketing droids. Personally, I feel this is a shady trick. but IMO, this doesn't make them evil. Kids being a soft target is all the more reason to try and take a personal involvement in educating your kids, and not letting the ridiculously marketing-driven society do it for you. (not you personally, jacquesm..)
- jacquesm 17y ago
  > I was responding to the way in which the "hard-working professional man" was painted as a victim. Well, he is. He is pushed to buy something he neither wants nor needs but runs out of a will to resist. This happens every day at the doorsteps of tens of thousands of older people that get salespeople to visit them at their homes. > Would you say uppity restaurants that focus more on the presentation of the food and the ambience than the bland quality of their fare are to be faulted for positioning themselves thusly? I take it that they do not go door-to-door or have people standing in the street in front of their restaurant to push people in the doorway. If the choice is truly free then it's fine with me. > If people see fit to pay for the snob value, more power to them.. We are in agreement on that. > Personally, I feel this is a shady trick. Personally, I feel it is criminal. > but IMO, this doesn't make them evil. And we disagree on that. > Kids being a soft target is all the more reason to try and take a personal involvement in educating your kids, and not letting the ridiculously marketing-driven society do it for you. As the proud father of a 15 year old son I could go on for days about the enormity of the assault on young impressionable minds. It goes so far that I feel some sympathy for those parents that eventually give up.